Fear Thy Heart
by Sinnyrs007
Summary: Underneath thick glasses are beauties unbeknownst to others and only when it is discovered by the gang leader of the Sinnyrs9, did Naruto find the courage to slowly open his eyes to the reality of what life is like. What fate will he now face?
1. Four Pairs of Eyes

**Title: **Fear Thy Heart

**Disclaimer: **Actually, I do own Naruto and Sasuke…drawings of them to be more exact. Someday my brilliant mind will find a way to take them away for Kishimoto-san. Muhahahaha!

**Summary: **Underneath thick glasses are beauties unbeknownst to others and only when it is discovered by the gang leader of the Sinnyrs9, did Naruto find the courage to slowly open his eyes to the reality of what life is like. What fate will he now face with the experience of love's first kiss, the searing pain of violent and forces of separation?

**Warning: **This fanfiction has depictions of boy love (when hot anime boys are coupled…yes, those kinds), slight swearing (maybe more), and mention of sexual intention (nothing really sexual…I can't find myself writing it).

**A/N: **Sort of my first time writing a fanfiction…though I did try before. Sasuke and Naruto and vice versa is my all time favorite shonen-ai couple. They're so adorable. I really miss Sasuke; Kishimoto-san should bring him back. I draw alittle so I might try to draw them out for you. I did draw Sasuke and Naruto together before, so if you want to take a look, you can chack on my profile for the link. I have serious problem with tense in sentences, please don't mind it. Naruto and Sasuke will most likely be OOC. Ummm…reminder, critics are highly appreciated but flames will be used as toilet papers.

**Chapter One: **Four Pairs of Eyes

For when I look on you a moment

Then can I speak no more

But my tongue falls silent

And once a delicate flame

Course beneath my skin

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Naruto, I think you should read this book…"

With his head leaning against his hand and eyes staring down at the pages of an open book titled, "Art: A Movement of Life," a blonde haired boy looked up from his source of concentration, slightly annoyed.

The sunlight from the nearby window kissed his silky locks with a passion while the small crack from the window brought light breezes into the quiet surroundings of the library. His egg-colored skin was beautifully painted pimple-free which would make most girls jealous except for the fact that no girls would pay attention to him…due to his lack of…well, he wasn't eye catching gorgeous. His perfectly blue eyes would've been immediately noticed by all if it were not for the two inches thick with black framed glasses.

Yes. Naruto Uzumaki did wear glasses…thick ones if I might add once again and he was proud of it. He liked how the black frame of the glasses gave off this mysterious look which he defined as the 'new thing.'

At eighteen, almost turning nineteen, he still wasn't ready to exchanged his glasses for a pair of 'wet fishy eyeballs,' otherwise known as contact lens. Not that there was anything wrong with lens, he just preferred glasses. They were easier to maintain. Except for when they're dirtied, scratched, cracked, and all them other things that could happen to it. But the point was glasses are far better than fake eye balls.

He pushed the glasses up and blinked a few time before speaking, "Shikamaru?" he asked, unsure who the person in front of him was.

"Who else would be with you on a Saturday morning in the library?" The chair in front of Naruto screeched in agony against the wooden floor as Shikamaru took a seat. Lazily, he dropped a thin white book in front of Naruto and rested his head on his arm.

Naruto raised a brow, scanning the book through his glasses. "Socrates in Love," he read out. "What's this?" he asked curiously.

"Man, you are blind. It's call a book." His lack of effort to answer the question was totally non-existing, even taking the time to close his eyes took time.

Naruto let out a grunt and leaned forward to grab the object. "I know it's a book." He rolled his eyes, annoyed and irritated that Shikamaru would judge his ability to distinguish a book from a table. "But why did you give it to me for?"

"So you can read it for me."

"What? No, I won't and it's in English." He shoved the book toward Shikamaru and managed to hit the other boy in the head. "You can read it yourself. I remember correctly that you have AP in English. You don't need my help."

"Yeah, but as I remember correctly…" he repeated after Naruto, "You're also in the same class."

"But that doesn't give you the right to make me read it. I have my own book." Naruto picked up the book in front of him and waved it in front of Shikamaru, who made no effort to even lift his head up. "And it's twice as big as yours."

As if on cue, Shikamaru sat up and leaned ever so closely toward Naruto causing him to back away slowly. "Well, I also remember that someone borrowed twenty-five dollars from me when he needed it to buy the new Final Fantasy XII video game." A mischievous smile graced Shikamaru's lip.

_Damn that game. It's so addicting. _The blond boy sighed and placed the book on the table. "Fine. But. I'm only reading the book for you. I will NOT, write the report."

"I know that. I read the book already."

Naruto gave him a confused look, his teeth gritted together. "They why?"

"Hey, I want to get the content of the story right. So you need to read it and then tell me about it again so that I can reassure myself that I am, of course, correct. Therefore that will allow me to give a good presentation, have a superb report, written in English nonetheless, and get an A. It's a win-win situation."

"Win-Win? How am I getting anything out of this?" Naruto was ready to throw the book at Shikamaru.

The brunette boy blocked himself, waiting for the object to smash into his arms, but nothing happened. Nothing. Shikamaru faintly heard someone walked away but made no sudden movement to check.

After a few more minutes, just to make sure that the blond had settled down, Shikamaru removed his arm and to his surprised the blond was no where to be found. He glanced around the library. All he could see were shelves and shelves of books, standing stiffly in front of him.

No Naruto. Anywhere.

Giving a loud sigh, more like a huff, he made his way out of the library. Slowly, he began searching for his blond friend. "I was just kidding about reading the book…" he muttered under his breath.

-------------------------------------------------

After Naruto left the library, he was left with the sun shining ever so brightly against his face. Mostly on his hair. _Stupid lazy bum… _

Feeling the edge of his bag stabbing at his side, Naruto readjusted it into one strap. He wasn't in the mood to take the university's bus back home so he decided to just stay in dorm for the weekend. Anko-nee-chan wouldn't kill him. Actually, she'll be more than happy to have him off her hand.

Already a few block from the library, he watched as the student walked back and forth from their dorm to wherever they were going. _It would be nice to go somewhere instead of the library all the time. _He sighed, pushing up his glasses once again before making his way toward the local grocery store just down the street for some ramen.

He wasn't exactly fond of the alley that divided the grocery store from the university. Every time he walked by there, he always found himself feeling just a bit more insecure.

Even in the daylight, the narrow space seemed to be inflamed in darkness. Most likely shelter for some homeless person or stray animals. Yeah, stray animals. Then why did he always find himself hugging his strap just a bit tighter and turning away when he walked passed the damn place?

_Someone should add some street light here…stupid dark alley, stupid me for walking here alone. _He murmured to himself.

Today was no different, the narrow space was still dark and…he could help but look in there every single time. It was curiosity. Yeah. That's what it was. Like they say, curiosity killed the cat, but come on…he was just looking. It wasn't like there was anything there.

Oh boy was he wrong. Taking a deep breath, he took a step forward when he saw what he thought were lights flickering in the darkness. He leaned to the side of the entrance, making sure that he wasn't seeing things. Feeling a chill, he turned around. _Maybe Shikamaru's fooling around with me…_he let out a small chuckle, ready to take leave.

"Gyaaa!!!" Naruto stopped in his track. He shut his eyes and turned back toward the alley way. The loud scream repeated itself and echoed in the narrow space. He looked around the university campus. No one was there. Where was everyone when someone needed help?

"S-Shika…maru…? Is that you?"

"Let me go!" Okay, correction. It wasn't Shikamaru. He didn't scream like a girl and he definitely wasn't a girl. Well…the last time Naruto seen his friend was only about half and hour ago and he doubted that a sex operation would've been that quick.

_How am I suppose to help when I can't even see where she is…_

As if answering Naruto's prayers…well sort of, a burst of sunlight shined into the alleyway. It wasn't bright enough but he could certainly see the outline of four figures just up ahead.

"Help!" screamed the strange girl when she saw Naruto through the dimness. "Help me, please!" suddenly her voice was covered by another boy's arm.

_She sounds familiar…_

"Hmeph!" The girl tried to scream through the arm.

_That's…_

"Sakura-chan!" he rushed toward the girl. He couldn't possibly let those boys harm her even if she did called him an 'four eyes, ugly loser' when he tried to asked her to be his partner when they had a Communication II project to work on.

At the time, he thought that she was worth asking out, since she was in the Pre-calculus class with him. That should've said something decent about her.

But nowadays, he found himself never caring much for her. Yet, he can't just leave and not help her; it was practically against his nature to just look away even if his heart was beating just a bit faster than usual. What the heck, it was practically pounding against his chest.

He'd never fought before. Naruto was not a fighter, especially when it was physically. But mentally he might have a chance.

_Here I go!_

Spotting Naruto approaching them, one of the boys pulled out a small hand knife and stopped Naruto in his tract. "Who the fuck are you?" The boy's face was unrecognizable due to the fact that his turtle-neck shirt was covering half of his face. He pointed the knife at Naruto.

"Let her go!" Boldly, Naruto took a step forward. He could feel his leg shaking. He was scared and he knew it. Maybe he could somehow talk his way out. "You are v-violating the law…l-let her go and I won't call the campus p-police on you…"

Laughter's filled the suddenly cool air that had just surfaced. "Did you guys hear him?" The boy who held onto Sakura's mouth bellowed in between laughter's. "Four eyes here said he's gonna call the police. What the hell are they going to do?" he asked, a grim gracing his face the back of his hand meet Sakura's face.

Naruto could vaguely see the tear outline Sakura's green eyes. He was scared. No. He was afraid to death. But…

When the boy in front of him turned, Naruto took the chance to pull off his bag pack and smashed the boy in the face. He figured the extra weigh in the bag would at least knock the boy out but he guessed wrong. It merely caused him to tumble back, the knife dropping out of his hand.

There was a blood stain on the boy's face. "You fuckin' bastard!" he screamed and ran toward Naruto with the knife in front of him. Naruto swung his bag again. This time the boy fell to the ground.

Sakura seeing that the hand covering her mouth have been removed quickly stomped the boy's feet with her heels and slapped him across the face before she tried to run off.

_Yes! Go Sakura-chan. Where's the third kid?_

"Run, Sakura-chan!" shouted Naruto who continued to whack the wounded boy with his bag.

Sakura was about to sped off with Naruto backing her up when someone's foot stuck out, causing her to trip. Her head smashed into the brick wall of the alley way but she didn't faint.

"Stupid, bitch. All we wanted was her watch," he said and kicked her to the ground.

_It's the third kid._

The sight of blood on her forehead alarmed Naruto.

It reminded him of how much he hates blood. And he froze…for a moment all h could see was red…before he heard Sakura cried.

It was kind of weird how she still couldn't recognize him.

He made quickly to go and help her but was stopped. A pale fist smashed into his right cheek. The impact of the punch caused him to lose stability. The pain was unbearable. It felt like the inside of his mouth was ringing. His cheek must have collided with his teeth when he tasted blood swimming inside his conceal lip. With another smashed to the left side of his cheek, the blood spilled out of mouth.

_This is different. It feels kind…nice. Almost nostalgic. Like when nee-chan hit me when I didn't follow the rules._

But it wasn't over. The person that had punched him came out of the shadow. He couldn't see his predator's face. A black strip of cloth covered the youth's face. All Naruto could paint out was how pale the boy's skin were. And he found himself liking how the boy was surrounded by the darkness, leaving him looking as mysterious as the shadows behind him.

"Boss!" yelled one of the boys. This quickly told Naruto that he wasn't fighting with any normal teenagers, but gang members and that frightened him even more. When did he even think he could go against them. No. He didn't know. Now he was worried for his life but most important Shikamaru's book resurfaced in his head.

_Socrates in Love…what a strange title. And I didn't even get to read it yet. _Thought Naruto, trying to concentrate on the stranger.

The boy's pale hand gripped onto Naruto's hair, pulling his head back into the ray out light that had mysteriously appeared. Naruto's glasses fell to the ground, broken. His arm felt weakened, forcing his bag out of his hand. His school ID fell out.

Now it was even harder for him to see what his predator look like. He wanted to at least see his killer.

"What the fuck are you doing fooling around with these…bitches?" Naruto noticed how the stranger's voice was demanding yet soft in a weird sense of way and Naruto found himself entranced.

"F-fuck you!" grunted Sakura, a sense of familiarity caused her eyes to widened just a bit.

One of the boys had taken the opportunity to shove his sock down her throat so she wouldn't scream anymore.

"Boss, let me cut him up. That bitch scarred my face." The wounded boy picked up the knife and sauntered toward Naruto.

The boy had his knife to Naruto's face when all their heads turned. Footsteps entered the alleyway.

"Hey! What are you doing to those kids? Get away from them!" shouted the approaching figures.

"Shit. Let's get out of here," yelled the boy that was nearest to Sakura. Sakura lied on the ground, her face tear-streaked. The outlines of her eyes were smeared with the mascara that had once lengthened her lashes.

The boy with the knife grabbed Naruto's bag and ran off.

Naruto looked dizzily at his predator. He had the urge to see the person's face. To see what kind of person have left such an impression on him.

As his predator released his hair, Naruto pulled all his strengths together to his arm and pulled at the cloth that covered the predator's eyes.

While the other three boys had ran off, afraid they would be caught, Naruto's predator was stopped in his tract when the cloth concealing his eyes loosened and fell into Naruto's grip. He turned slightly and was met eye to eye with his victim. The sun's ray lightened their faces, almost angelic. Their eyes both widened at contact as the darkest eyes met the bluest ones.

For a moment, Naruto swore, he saw the devil's eyes. Pure evil. And the bad thing was, he couldn't help but stared. He was mesmerized.

The predator quickly averted his eyes and turned away. He was ready to walk off when he felt something underneath his shoe. Bending down to quickly look at the object, he figured it had to be an ID and pocketed it. With one last glance at Naruto, the predator walked off. His figure leave such a dark aura behind as it slowly disappeared into the shadow in which he had come from.

Naruto was left to watch as his predator faded into the darkness. It was hard to stand when he had just been punched twice. Not being such a strong person, he immediately fell to the ground.

_It's over._

Naruto looked around as if drunk for Sakura. He spotted her on the ground, a little further from him gagging as she pulled the sock out of her mouth. Letting out a relief sigh, he let his head settle on the dirt. The sun was still brightening his bruised face. He knew that but he couldn't feel the heat.

And oddly enough, he couldn't feel the pain anymore.

A blurry figure hung over him. Calling him. But he couldn't hear the person. Somehow his mind told him that it was Shikamaru. He wasn't irritated at his friend anymore.

Naruto's head gave way, leaving him with the image of the devil's eye and voice.

-----------------------------------------------------------

**Preview: **"Keep your mouth shut if you don't want to die." Naruto nodded in agreement. He knew who the person was. Naruto have been hoping for 'him' to come and find him and 'he' did. He wanted to see what 'he' looked like. It was a craving. A longing. And 'he' was so close to him. To that pale skinned, dark-eyed devil. (Might be in the next chapter if I don' t decide to change things around)

**A/N: **Wow. I. actually. Finished. The. First. Chapter.

I. don't. really. Think. The. Title. Match. It., but. Hey.

It. Was. Only. An. Introduction. chapter.

Hope. You. Like. It. And. Please. Review. And…

Tell. Me. What. You. Think. About. it.

I. do. Plan. On. Continuing. This. And…

I. like. I. said. Before. I'll. Try. and. Draw.

Sasuke/Naruto. And. Vice. Versa. Characters.' headshot.

(I'm writing that way to annoy everyone)- If anything confused you, please tell me. I'll explain.


	2. Numbers For Names

**Title: **Fear Thy Heart

**Disclaimer: **Actually, I do own Naruto and Sasuke…drawings of them to be more exact. Someday my brilliant mind will find a way to take them away from Kishimoto-san. Muhahahaha! (cough)

**Summary: **Underneath thick glasses are beauties unbeknownst to others and only when it is discovered by the gang leader of the Sinnyrs9, did Naruto find the courage to slowly open his eyes to the reality of what life is like. What fate will he now face with the experience of love's first kiss, the searing pain of violent and forces of separation?

**Warning: **This fanfiction has depictions of boy love (when hot anime boys are coupled…yes, those kinds), slight swearing (maybe more), and mention of sexual intention (nothing really sexual…I can't find myself writing it).

**A/N: **There will be OOC-ness…so beware. Again reviews are much appreciated and flames will be ignored.

**Chapter Two: **Numbers For Names

"I'm just a small man.

My heart is moved by what's in front of me,

Rather what the world as a whole needs."

- Allen Walker D. Gray-man

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_And oddly enough, he couldn't feel the pain anymore. _

_A blurry figure hung over him. Calling him. But he couldn't hear the person. Somehow his mind told him that it was Shikamaru. He wasn't irritated at his friend anymore. _

_Naruto's head gave way, leaving him with the image of the devil's eye and voice. _

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two watchful pairs of brown and green orbs observed the blond boy lying on the hospital bed through the clear glass that was framed into the wooden door. A mother and her crying child passed by as a nurse came from behind them and ushered them into the room.

What Shikamaru first noticed about the room was that it was bright. Too bright. The blinds from the windows really know how to play with the sunlight that entered the room. The sun rays rested softly against the white quilt that laid half way on Naruto, giving him just enough comfort.

Naruto's blond hairs splayed out onto the pillow. His face was just a little pale. The sign of bruises could be clearly seen on either side of his cheeks. Beside from the bruises, the only scars that ever graced his skin were the three whiskers mark that never ceased. Even those scars were hard to see due to the fact that Naruto always had his clinging to his face.

Quietly, pushing the door open, Shikamaru found himself being followed by Sakura and the nurse. Shikamaru read the nametag on the nurse's name, it read: RN Shizune.

"Shizune-san? Is Naruto going to be okay?" he asked, before closing the door behind him, being careful not to disrupt the sleeping blond as he slid onto a chair closed to the bed. He spotted Sakura grabbing a seat on the other side before making herself comfortable. Shikamaru sighed, somewhat irritated.

He had wondered why Naruto helped Sakura after he had found them in the alley way. He wasn't one to judge people since it took time out of sleeping schedule. (Yes, Shikamaru has a sleeping schedule which consisted of every time he got a chance to.) But Sakura just rubbed him the wrong way. She was, how would he describe her? Snobby.

He remembered how Sakura had turned down a disappointed Naruto when he had asked her to be his partner in one of their classes. And later that day, he overheard her and her groupie calling Naruto a 'four eyes, ugly loser.' He ended up telling Naruto during lunch, but not to his surprised, Naruto didn't say anything.

But Shikamaru knew. He knew that it had hurt Naruto, being friends since they were children had helped him in reading Naruto better than anyone else. Pain was the easiest emotion that Shikamaru recognized in the blonde's eyes, no matter how hard he tried to hide. Naruto could be described in two words, soft-hearted. He'd never learned how to hate or fight back.

Now that had changed and Shikamaru was more than surprised.

Shizune held out her clipboard and wrote down the boy's condition. "Y-yes…he's fine. Just some bruises and most likely he'll be aching all over when he wakes up." She added. Placing the pen back on the clipboard, she proceeded to move back toward the door before stopping to look at Shikamaru. "The doctor in charge of him, Tsunade-san, wants to make sure that you contact his guardian and advise them of his whereabouts."

Shikamaru took a quick glance a Naruto before turning back to Shizune. "You see…" he started out. He knew that it wasn't in his place to tell people about Naruto's personal life but without some explanations, the hospital would probably further question him and that was troublesome. "Can I talk to you outside." he finally said, fully intended to leave Sakura out of the conversation.

Shizune gave Shikamaru a questioning look before opening the door. "Yes, if you want."

Shikamaru followed after, noting how Sakura was a little to close to Naruto. She wouldn't think of doing anything would she? He shut the door behind.

"Now can you tell me what's wrong?" Shizune uncapped her pen and was ready to write now any given information.

The same mother and child passed by Shikamaru again. This time the child was not crying, instead he was sleeping, silently, on his mother's shoulder. Shizune tapped her pen when she noticed that Shikamaru was spacing out. The hospital was a distracting place. One is always curious about what's going on even if it wasn't any of their business and she assumed that Shikamaru was just another curious individual.

"Sorry…I was just wondering if that baby boy had a father or not."

"Well, I think that you don't have to concern yourself about those matters." Shizune eyes widened.

"T-Tsunade-san." Shizune stuttered out before walking toward the other lady.

Shikamaru swirled around and found himself facing a taller blond lady whose breast were clearly large even if it was covered by the white jacket.

Shizune smiled and introduced the strangers to each other. "Shikamaru-kun. This is Tsunade-san. She's the doctor in charged of Naruto-kun. You can inform her on Naruto-kun's guardian while she's here."

"Well…"

Shikamaru was quick to understand that Tsunade was quite irritated due to the fact that the veins on her forehead were popping out and her arms were crossed together, waiting impatiently. And they had just met. He gulped, remembering how scary the female gender was.

"Okay…Naruto's an orphan. The only relative that I know he has is his adopted sister, Anko. Who I can't seem to reach." Okay, that wasn't hard. Now, all he had to do was remind himself to tell Naruto that he had gave out that information to the nurse and doctor.

"No, shit. Sorry, mind my language. Tell me something I don't know." Tsunade huffed. The obvious irritation was more like an outburst now. "That little brat. I'll strangle him myself when he wakes up."

Both Shikamaru and Shizune looked at each other, a bit confused. "Uh, Tsunade-san? Do you know Naruto?"

Tsunade leaned against the wall, resting her head in her hand while Shizune prepared to write. If Shikamaru wasn't wrong, he could see the hidden stressed expression on the older lady's face. Being a doctor must be hard. He'd figured that aside from worrying about her patients and maybe her personal life has taken a toll on her.

"I was practically there when he was born," she said, a bit more calm. "I guess he didn't tell you that he had an aunt."

That was news to Shikamaru. Naruto, surely, never told him that he had an aunt and even the part that she was a doctor. And that made Shikamaru wonder how much more he didn't know about his friend. "No, he never spoke of it…" Shikamaru felt a little guilty for knowing without being informed by Naruto first.

"I wouldn't blame him for not mentioning me in his life. I'm the one at fault for never taking care of him and Anko. It was…hard." Her voice was low, almost inaudible.

Shikamaru could sense the quivering in her voice and he knew that she was fighting back the tears that were threatening to slide down her stressed face. Her attitude was different from before, almost too different. Shizune placed a hand on her colleague's shoulder.

Tsunade gave quiet cough, before turning away and walking off. The sound of her heels hitting the smooth floor echoed in the long hall. And it frightened Shikamaru to even look ahead.

He spotted a figure lingering about two rooms away from Naruto's and noted that the boy was sort of suspicious but he didn't have time to think about it before the sound of cries met his ears.

Nurses and doctors quickly sped passed him, almost knocking him down as they made way toward some unknown room that Shikamaru could barely see. He followed just a little curious, but tried not to get in the way.

Standing outside of the door, he found himself looking at the woman from earlier. Her child still in her hand. This time they were both crying. The woman was practically being held down by a male nurse before her baby was taken from her for his own safety. On the bed, Shikamaru could see a man, lying there as the doctor pumped his heart over and over again. And that alone assured Shikamaru that the child was going to grow up without a father.

Feeling sadness hovering over him, he ran toward Naruto's room, whilst the sound of a mother and child crying met the endless beeping of her husband's ventilator. Even after he entered Naruto's room, he could still hear the sounds and it reminded him of how much he hated the hospital. The design of it was not welcoming, the white room gave off an eerie sense, and the smell of death was always lingering about.

Shikamaru turned and met with a sight he disapproved of. "What the hell are you doing?" he questioned when he saw Sakura leaned over again Naruto's bed.

One hand of her hand was on the edge of the bed and the other was practically on Naruto's chest. Her face was only a few inches away from Naruto's. Her pink hair hung out freely from the removed bandages, covering half of Naruto's face. That was all that Shikamaru needed to see to know what she intended to do.

He had always noted that Naruto looked ethereal when he was sleeping and those were times that Naruto took his glasses off. Naruto's hair would rest to one side while he obliviously showed off his beauty to the wind that would silently pass by. And Shikamaru being his best friend and somewhat of a brother's figure was always there to tease him about it.

Sakura quickly receded upon hearing Shikamaru's voice. She knocked into the nearby table and winced when the pain had registered in her brain. "Shikamaru-kun…" she muttered out, watching as Shikamaru was immediately at Naruto's side.

Shikamaru looked up at her before checking to make sure that Naruto wasn't harm. "I asked, what were you doing?" He knew what she was doing. The beauty that Naruto had hidden away behind those glasses and meshed strain of hair clinging to his face was finally seen by Sakura.

"I-I…" she stuttered out. She gazed at Shikamaru with green eyes that begged for forgiveness. But Shikamaru was no fool. It might have worked on Naruto but not him.

"You were?" Shikamaru took the initiative to pull the messy white quilt over Naruto. The blond was still snoring away even after he was almost molested in his sleep. That was quite new to Shikamaru. The fact an uninterested girl was all over his friend was not to his surprise, disgusting. Worst of all, she was the same girl that chose not to associate with Naruto.

Sakura looked at the floor. Her lip slightly part as she searched for the right words to answer Naruto. What was she to say when she was caught, practically leaning in to…it's just she'd never seen Naruto look so… "I-I was checking to see if Naruto-kun had a fever or not since he was sweating." She lied, hoping that somewhere between the words, Shikamaru would actually believe her but to her dismay, Shikamaru took a seat and shook his head.

If she'd told him the truth, he would've let it go but she didn't and that just added to how much he didn't want her in his sight. "I always thought that to check someone's temperature was with the back of one's hand or a thermometer, but lip to lip…that's news to me," he said, mockingly. "I doubt that he needed air so you decided to do CPR on him because he looks fine to me…Sakura-chan." Shikamaru made sure to add the 'chan' at the end and dragged it, trying to emphasize the meaning.

"I think you got it all wrong, Shikamaru-kun. I wasn't doing anything to Naruto-kun. I just wanted to make sure that he was okay. After all he did help me from those gangsters." She explained, once again taking a seat on the unoccupied chair.

He looked up at her, raising a brow, interested. "Gangsters?" Okay, he didn't know that she was attacked by some gang's members. At first he had thought that it was just some random thieves, trying to take their money or something. But gangsters? Wasn't that a little too much? "What are you talking about?"

"I didn't know that they were gang's members when they attacked me. I was just going to give them what they wanted, but then they hit me and Naruto-kun. We were going to escape when he came out and punched Naruto?" she said, closing her eyes as she recalled the memory. It all seemed so fresh to her, yet the happening of that event had passed already.

"Who's he?" This 'he' seemed to be the cause of Naruto's pain.

"He is the leader of the notorious gang called, the 'Sinnyrs9.' Haven't you heard of them before? They're the gang whose top nine members are codenamed by numbers." Sakura cocked her head to the side, confused. _I thought everyone knew about them. _"Words are, they rule the university in the shadows."

Actually, Shikamaru did hear about them. It was more by accident then intentionally. He just happened to hear the other college's students talking to one another. Sometimes it made him wonder why he was always overhearing things. Knowing things were too…troublesome.

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head, obviously too much information was being taken in and it was making him think. Too much for his own liking. "How would you know that it was the leader and not just one of his followers?"

The room remained quiet for a while. The sound of Naruto's breathing in and out conquered the white room while the rising and falling of his chest reassured them that he was just sleeping.

Sakura's spoke again as Shikamaru's eyes watched her, intently. "He is said to never let his victims sees his eyes. I recognized him right away when he attacked Naruto. His eyes were covered with some black cloth. But still he was able to pinpoint where Naruto was. It was almost like, he could sense Naruto's presence and whereabouts." She rubbed the wound on her forehead, showing Shikamaru that Naruto wasn't the only victim. "I know Naruto saw it…"

Okay, when did they go into first name base without the suffix? "Naruto saw what?" Shikamaru asked just a little more confused. _Why are people always speaking without ending their sentence? _

Sakura looked around, almost reluctant to speak. But she couldn't keep silent now that she was involved. "The devil's eyes." A sudden breeze entered the room, causing Sakura to look behind her.

The window's curtain above Naruto swayed against the wind current before tackling Naruto's golden locks. His hair looked as if they were glistening against the sunlight.

_Devil's eyes…_

"Aren't you exaggerated just a bit? No one has eyes like that." Shikamaru sighed, quickly dismissing her last comment.

"No, I'm not lying." Sakura yelled out, forgetting that there was a patient in the room. Shikamaru was somewhat taken aback by her actions. "His eyes are supposedly pure black. Ones that reflect the darkness. Even if I hadn't seen it, I could sense this weird aura that his presence alone present…"

"Okay, so he's a gang leader but that doesn't mean that he's the devil. I know for a fact that no human in prone to pain." He watched as Sakura got up and sauntered toward the door, literally ignoring what he had to say.

Sakura turned and with an icy gaze, she spoke. "…just remember this Shikamaru. I've heard that once someone has been targeted by the Sinnyrs9, they'll continue to be the prey. Watch out closely for your friend if you value his life." With that she proceeded to exit the room, leaving a somewhat confused Shikamaru even more bewildered.

What she said at the end troubled him. He knew that usually gang's members tended to keep grudges and this one is no exception. Shikamaru watched the sleeping blond who was still unaware of the situation.

He let out a big sigh, looking at the ceiling and then back at Naruto. He scratched his head, looking around for Naruto's bag and his book. Having not seen it, he's figured that it was probably stolen.

_What have you gotten yourself into Naruto?_

------------------------------

The light outside had long receded at the moment that the moon had kissed the sun goodnight before taking its place. After awhile, droplets of water hit the earth's ground before the rain began to pour down. It killed in its path, the smallest living creature and leaving even the human's to shiver when it made contact.

Naruto would've known that it was raining outside if he had allowed himself to wake up and not sleep through the day so pleasantly. Shikamaru had just gotten back from eating a few hours ago to find that his friend refused to converse with him.

Laying on a couch not too far from Naruto's bed, Shikamaru watched as the rain splashed onto the window, looking as though they were trying to break through.

The clock in the Naruto's room were ticking and ticking and ticking…tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. That was all Shikamaru could hear before Shizune came in. In her hands, the same clipboard from earlier. The bags under her eyes could be seen from a day of hard work and no sleep. Shikamaru doubted that she would be getting any rest tonight. The sound of children screaming and for their parents could still be heard.

"Shikamaru-kun, it's almost 10pm. I think it's time for you to go home and rest," she smiled at him. "Don't worry about him. He'll be fine. He's sleeping, remember."

"Alright. Umm…is Tsunade-san feeling better?" Shikamaru grabbed his books, stuffing them in his bag. The good thing about staying at the hospital with Naruto that day was that he got some of his homework completed.

"She's…better. Being a doctor doesn't give her much time to worry about her own problems. When she does have time, she tries to throw more work at herself. Being her colleague, I worry sometimes but work is a medication for her." Shizune placed her hand on Naruto's forehead. "He seems to be doing well. Tsunade-san would be glad."

Zipping up his bag, Shikamaru rubbed his eyes, obviously watching the blond sleeping had taken an affect on him. "Naruto got thick skin. I'm more than sure he won't die anytime soon," he said jokingly. Yet at the back of his mind, what Sakura had told him replayed over and over again.

…_once someone has been targeted by the Sinnyrs9, they'll continue to be the prey…_

The door behind Shikamaru and Shizune closed when a click. In the room alone, Naruto couldn't hear the sound of their footsteps leaving nor did he hear the sound of the same door being opened.

As the rain continued to thrash outside, two figures stood in Naruto's room. Their shadows loomed over Naruto, covering his face in darkness.

The slightly shorter figure approached Naruto's bed. His spiky brunette hair and the red triangular markings underneath his eyes could be seen due to the light from the lamp that was on the table. "Is this the kid, Zero?" he asked the other person while he stared down at Naruto's face. "He looks like a chick." The brunette slid his hand against Naruto's face. The blond boy shifted in his sleep. "You know. You should've brought Gaara with you. He likes to torture the pretty kind…"

Zero emerged from behind the brunette. A blood red bandanna covered half his face while his flowing blue-black bangs covered his eyes. Even without the sun to shine upon him, his skin radiated a pale glow against that of Naruto's egg-shelled skin. Zero's hand reached toward Naruto's hair but he retreated. He slightly looked down at the blonde's slumbering face before his eyes faintly opened as the blond stirred on the bed. His hand reached up, rubbing one side of his face as if holding onto some unseen pain.

It felt so wrong for him to be so closed to the blond stranger but yet comforting.

Zero released his hand, allowing his bangs to cover his eyes once again. The rain was starting to irritate him, no matter how much he loved to soak himself in it. It seemed like a mistake for the water to be thrashing against the window while someone was sleeping.

"So, are we taking him with us?" asked the brunette who took note of how Zero was fixative on Naruto. He was ready to pull the white quilt off the blond when Zero's grabbed his hand, stopping him from doing so. The brunette looked at Zero with a bewildered expression. He was about to retaliate when the sound of footsteps reverberated on the other side of the door. The brunette could sense Zero telling him to hush.

The sound completely disappeared. "Get out. Three," demanded Zero, in a low but scornful tone.

"But…" started Three, "…you said we had to take him back with us." Three wasn't able to finish his sentence when he was met with a twinkle from Zero's eyes.

"I said. Leave. Kiba." Zero released Kiba's arm, looking at the boy from underneath his bangs.

Kiba flinched once his arm was released. Finger marks adorned his skin as he backed away. "Sorry…" Kiba knew when he was not needed. They all knew. The other eight that is. The fact that Zero had called Kiba by his real name was enough surprise for the day. "I'll inform everyone about the…boy and inform them that we'll regroup in three days at the base."

Kiba took one last glance at Zero and then at Naruto. The door behind him clicked, assuring Zero that Kiba was gone.

Zero looked over Naruto. This time, he sketched into his brain every detail of Naruto's face and even his sleeping characteristics. He noticed how Naruto's eyes would tighten just a bit when he shifted around, causing his lashes to shortened. Then how he slept sideway rather than straight and more importantly, how different he looked without his glasses on.

Zero's eyes peeked out from underneath his hair. He untied the bandanna from behind his head and let his lip tasted the air in Naruto's room. Holding the bandanna in his right hand, he reached over and touched Naruto's forehead, almost forcefully as if he was afraid to do so.

A strange feeling erupted in him as his black orbs searched for blue ones but instead, he was met with closed eye lid. He swiftly removed his hand when Naruto shifted once again. Zero retied the bandanna over his lips. He didn't know what he was feeling and he'll be damned if he let his followers know of it. His dark and mysterious exterior is not to be shown to anyone. Even the stranger.

There was a loud thunder roar that overlapped with Zero's last words. It was inaudible to Naruto's ear but in this world silence could hear itself. Zero's figure stood at the opened door, ready to leave.

A few seconds passed by…eyelashes fluttered opened revealing blue orbs. Naruto slowly sat up and looked around. He blinked a few more times, trying to adjust his eyes to the dark. His hand rubbed at his forehead as the pain proceeded to attack him all at once. The side of his face ached when he accidentally touched it, causing him to winced. When he tried to push his glasses up, he noticed that it was not there.

A confused Naruto looked around for the object that clarified his vision. He could vaguely make out a figure standing near an open door. He raised his hand, reaching out…but the door closed.

"Stranger…"

---------------------------------

**A/N: **There's no preview since I didn't actually follow the Chapter One preview for Chapter Two. I decided to change some things and there are so many ideas popping into my head that I have to constantly tweak the story plot. If you have any ideas regarding the plot, I would really appreciate it. If you think that it's similar to something you have read before, please tell me, so I can change it. Ummm…also if anyone is interested, I have draw a few sketches of Zero (do you guy know who he is yet? It's kind of obvious) already in different blindfolded way. There's the bandanna one, the white-cloth one and then the one with the thick glasses. I'll scan the pictures and post it on my deviantart account. Can you guess who the other eight members of the Sinnyrs9 are?

Thanks to those of you that reviewed. These pictures are for you.


End file.
